Giants could exact a Princely sum Thursday, plus more notes

Everyone in Scottsdale is looking forward to ending the workout drudgery with Wednesday’s Cactus League opener against the Mariners. But it could get a lot more interesting the day after that.

That’s because the Giants play their first home exhibition Thursday against the Milwaukee Brewers – and Prince Fielder could be in the house.

Remember, the Giants haven’t crossed paths with Fielder since his bowling pin preen after hitting a walk-off home run against them at Miller Park on Sept. 6.

Many fans thought Fielder’s home-plate choreography was a clever way to celebrate. But I can guarantee you nobody felt that way in the Giants clubhouse. That loss was crushing to their playoff hopes, and in the days that followed, I heard more than one version of, “We aren’t going to forget about that bull honkey.”

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To spice up this scenario all the more, the Giants have the perfect retaliation man in their midst.

That’s right, it was Dodgers right-hander Guillermo Mota – who’s now in Giants camp as a non-roster invitee.

(Mota is no stranger to spring training dustups, either. I was covering the Dodgers beat in 2002 and ’03 when Mota caused benches to clear after hitting Mike Piazza with pitches. The second time, Piazza pulled a pre-Prince, venturing into the visiting clubhouse at Port St. Lucie on a rampage looking for Mota, who’d just bailed.)

That’s not all. For a vegetarian, Fielder sure seems to have a lot of beefs.

He also has a little history with Giants lefty Jonathan Sanchez, who drilled him in the back with a first-pitch fastball on June 28 of last season.

Here’s the way I wrote up the aftermath of the Sanchez incident in my game story that day:

Sanchez’s first pitch in the ninth inning hit Prince Fielder in the back, and the Milwaukee slugger stammered in anger before heading to first base. After the game, Fielder walked down the service tunnel toward the Giants clubhouse but stopped and sat in golf cart for a few minutes before returning to the home side.

Fielder did not address reporters, but it would be understandable if he felt like a target after celebrating a three-run homer and the game-winning double in Saturday night’s comeback victory.

Two months later, when Fielder tried to beat down the doors to get to Mota, I flashed back to that vision of him sitting in that golf cart. And I wondered what he was silently considering in those moments.

So, yeah. Thursday. Mark your calendars.

Of course, this isn’t NASCAR or hockey. You don’t show up to a baseball game hoping for a fight, or a fiery collision. I’d never root for such an event.

But when you see it coming, you see it coming.

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I can’t help but think of a certain former baseball beat reporter who kept a “bad blood” file that included all the grudges among major league players. He’d be going absolutely nuts over this one.

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I wrote my feature today on Aubrey Huff, exploring his rep as a bad defensive first baseman because he’s been used often as a DH in recent years. The truth will come in time, but for now, he’s getting the benefit of the doubt.

In the story, I mention that Huff is a “Transformers” fan — so much so that he’s got Autobot and Decepticon logos tattooed on either side of his upper back.

Well, that should give you some window into Huff’s soul. He’s incredibly loose in the clubhouse, isn’t easily embarrassed and doesn’t think twice about laughing at himself.

Every time he sees chiseled teammate Nate Schierholtz, he marvels at the outfielder’s sculpted six-pack. The other day, Huff took a phone camera snapshot of Schierholtz’s torso. He sent the pic to his wife with the message, “Look honey, I’ve been working out.”

—

Schierholtz only looks like he does 1,000 sit-ups a day. While he keeps to an ab routine, he said it’s nothing intensive. Mostly, he says he’s just blessed with good genes.

Schierholtz said his mother ran the Boston Marathon three times. And his father, Vai, still surfs most weekends even though he’s pushing 50. He’s also got to be the only skateboarder who qualifies for the senior discount. Seriously. Check out his old-school moves.

—

In the Huff story, I mention that Travis Ishikawa’s UZR/150 ranked him as the best defensive first baseman in the majors last season (minimum 500 innings).

I have mixed feelings about UZR. I do think it’s an interesting way to measure general athleticism and range, which makes it a useful tool to some degree. But in no way do I accept it as an infallible, all-purpose definition of defensive worth. (That’s also why I view WAR with a jaundiced eye, since UZR is a huge component of its methodology.)

Anyway, it was interesting to scroll through the UZR sortables on Fangraphs. Ishikawa’s UZR/150 was 19.1 – ahead of Kevin Youkilis (15.2) and Casey Kotchman (11.1). Nobody else was in double digits.

But when I lowered the innings threshold from 500, I was surprised to see that Rich Aurilia checked in with a whopping 25.8 rating (in almost 160 innings, which is obviously a small sample).

If you’re frustrated that more of the mainstream media hasn’t embraced newer stats, you should try talking to the players sometime. I’d say 95 percent of them will tell you all this Sabermetric stuff is a load of bunk.

I might have converted one player, though.

Aurilia brought his kids to the ballpark Saturday and he smiled when I mentioned his unusually high UZR rating. He’s unretired but unemployed, and with no nibbles from teams, he’s assuming he’ll join Comcast as an analyst.

Unless…

“Well, spread the word that my UZR was good,” he said. “Maybe I’ll get a job.”

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Impressions don’t mean much this time of the spring, but Edgar Renteria’s swing looks way, way better than at any point last season. Kevin Frandsen was driving balls over the fence in batting practice, too.

It would be easy to assume that Frandsen isn’t in the Giants’ plans after all that’s been said or left unsaid. But in recent days, Bruce Bochy made it clear that Fred Lewis and Travis Ishikawa are very much in the plans for roster spots.

I get the sense that Bochy’s slate is similarly clean for Frandsen – and considering he spent last year getting re-acclimated after missing ’08 with his Achilles’ tear, there’s reason to believe that he could be on the verge of a big spring.

Andrew Baggarly

Andrew Baggarly has documented the most eventful era in San Francisco Giants baseball history, having covered the team since 2004 for th​ree major media outlets including the San Jose Mercury News and the Oakland Tribune​. This is his 20th season as a baseball writer.
​Baggarly is the author of the bestselling book, A Band of Misfits: Tales of the 2010 San Francisco Giants, and the newly published Giant Splash: Bondsian Blasts, World Series Parades and Other Thrilling Moments By the Bay. Baggarly’s other notable life accomplishments include running as the Bratwurst in the Milwaukee Sausage Race and becoming a three-time Jeopardy! champion.

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Excellent post as usual Baggs! Good to see that most players agree that modern sabermetrics are vastly overrated. Good for fantasy baseball perhaps, but not for real world analysis of player skills.

shindigity

hope renteria’s swing is much better, not a bit better where boch will continue to use him. but much better or the same so he can be benched.

saberhater

uh oh Baggs … don’t go pissing off the Sabermetric dorks around here. Telling them UZR isn’t an absolute is like telling them their imaginary girlfriends are ugly

bradley emden

Aurillia starting to look like the dude that played Superman in the 1950’s series. Perhaps a future role as Superman would be awesome for Richie. Richie did make some really awesome plays at first base. Ishi though is the best fielding first baseman in the league. The way he played at home, I’m surprised people think he was bad. He was bad on the road, but at home he was Will Clark.

John

The Giants need to get over it.

Sleepy Floyd

I hope Frandsen has an incredible spring and becomes the everyday 2B with Sanchez on the DL. I know people will disagree, but I know Kevin would be productive if they made him the everyday 2B.

FBS (Fire Brian Sabean)

SaberHater – You are funny. Way to stick with the stereotypes. Teams such as, well just about everybody except the Giants, use advanced statistical analysis to improve their team. So we get Sabes taking fliers on guys who are gamers (Rowand), guys who know how to win (Zito) and guys who are clutch (Rentatia). There is about 200 million out the window. Maybe, just maybe the fearless leader at 24 Willie Mays Plaza will be fired one day or learn to turn on a computer.

FBS (Fire Brian Sabean)

SaberHater – You are funny. Way to stick with the stereotypes. Teams such as, well just about everybody except the Giants, use advanced statistical analysis to improve their team. So we get Sabes taking fliers on guys who are gamers (Rowand), guys who know how to win (Zito) on guys who are clutch (Renteria). They sure are gritty gamers who do it the Giants way! There is about 200 million out the window in those three alone. Maybe, just maybe the fearless leader at 24 Willie Mays Plaza will be fired one day or learn to turn on a computer.

ace

Poppy, you are like the energizer bunny

UglyFinder

Dude, Nate Schierholtz’s dad is SICK at skateboarding.

Jeff

Great post

FBS (Fire Brian Sabean)

I might trade nate for his dad. I wonder if he swings at sliders at his back foot?

dregarx

Just FYI for anybody who’s interested, but 160 innings of UZR is a microscopic sample size.

A full three years starting data of UZR is roughly equivalent to a full season of hitting stats, so taking the UZR of a backup who didn’t play about half of a year is like taking one week of hitting stats and saying it really means something about the player.

That being said, Baggs, I don’t fault you at all for not buying into WAR because UZR is a major component of its methodology. Defensive sabermetrics is nowhere close to being as accurate as its offensive counterpart.

Mavo

Baggs… great post as always! You are the BEST man!

I hope the Giants find someone with the cojones to put one in Prince’s earhole on Thursday! And you made an excellent call suggesting Mota! As a long time baseball fan … one thing I have always thankful for is that baseball has, for the most part, kept the showboating BS, that has infected other sports, OUT of our game! It is so bad in the NFL now we see idiots celebrating after a sack while getting beat by 30 points! The WWF type crap that Fielder pulled, with the cooperation of his teammates, has absolutely NO place in baseball!

Baseball players have always been good at taking care of this cheap crap on the field. So let’s hope on Thursday we see someone on the Giants step up and dust Prince good! He wants to fall down at home plate while showing up our team? Let’s see how graceful he looks sprawling in the dirt after dodging a high hard one at his chin! Then they can take that bowling pin BS back to Milwaukee where it belongs!

I am an old catcher.. and I can tell you if Fielder did that to my LITTLE LEAGUE team and my pitchers did not knock him on his ass … I’d take care of it myself at home plate! But that is how OLD SCHOOL baseball was played! Let’s see if any of the Giants remember that brand of baseball?

Mavo

Right on Baggs! Good call on questioning some of the more esoteric stats being quoted these days! I got raked over the coals by some on here a few days ago when I too said that stats are overrated. Be careful we have a LOT of fantasy baseball guys on here who live and die with these new Sabermetric stats! But, us “old-school” guys understand exactly what you are saying.

whtcrxghst

UZR also thinks Fred Lewis is awesome

When it comes to 1st basemen though, here is some food for thought…the rating has nothing to do with throwing arm. The Giants could literally have a one armed drummer playing 1st base for them and it wouldn’t affect his UZR because he couldn’t throw the ball. More proof that you can make stats mean whatever the hell you want them to!!!

Is TI a good 1st basemen? Absolutely. Will he ever be a good enough hitter to justify playing the easiest position on the field? No fricken way

Reed B

F Lew is still on to make the team??? Uh, why? Is it because he is the cheapest alternative for a pinch runner or left handed pinch hitter? I cringe every time I see him in the outfield or batters box.

Come In My Posey

I like a lot of the “new school” stats, however I use my eye when evaluating the Giants.

Stats really should be used for players you don’t get to see on a regular basis or players you don’t know.

No stats will ever convince me that Fred Lewis can play defense, and why? Because I watched about 155 games last year, and while UZR says he is decent my eyes tell me otherwise.

And yes I trust my eyes over UZR.

Jason

Mavo, Obiviously you don’t follow baseball that much or haven’t seen the Brewers much because that’s what they do, they’re young, brash, and have tons of fun. Now I’m not a Brewer Fan but if I were I’d really like their team because they are so loose. If the Giants hit Fielder the brewers will not only hit a Giant but also celebrate twice as hard. Ask the Cardinals how they feel about the Brewers untucking their shirts after they win. The Cards hate it and when the Brewers beat them they basically untuck their shirts in front of the Cards dugout. They don’t care, old school policing themselves doesn’t work against the Brewers.

Go Reds!!!!!

saberhater

FBS – way to get all tied up into a knot over a silly joke. I’m not saying UZR isn’t useful, it can be part of an overall evaluation of a player, sure. But those who use sabermetrics as the sole measuring stick of a player are short-sighted. UZR, as someone here as already pointed out, loves Freddy Lewis. Sorry dude, but my eyes tell me he plays left field like stevie wonder and takes routes to fly balls like he has bees in his pants. Frankly, if Fred Lewis was so good, as some of the sabermetric ratings tools suggest, why aren’t other teams beating down the Giants’ door trying to acquire this guy? After all, as you put it, nearly every team uses these tools except the Giants right? BTW, way to stick with your stereotypes about the Giants too. Yes, Sabean has made plenty of idiotic moves, but I really doubt his evaluation of a guy like Rowand involved the word “gamer” before he signed him. Enough with the repetitive gripes and whining about this team. Enjoy the fact that it’s baseball season and root for your team instead.

Brian

I thought Fielder’s celebration was an amusing stunt and I enjoy it when the players are having fun. People get to caught up in the “unwritten rules” of baseball, that being said I am a Giants fan and that home run totally killed us. So if a ball ends up directly in his back, I would be happy as a pig in *^%$.

Chris S

Thanks for the update, Baggs. I’m glad I’m not the only one who remembers that Mota was the one who threw at Fielder last year… If I remember right, it was in retaliation for opposing pitchers throwing at Manny after coming back from the *ahem* suspension. I’ve been looking forward to this for a while; too bad it’s not one of the games MLB Network is showing on tape delay.

As for the UZR/150 stat… I believe, like most Giants fans, that Ishikawa is a Gold Glove caliber first baseman (but for the fact that he doesn’t put up the offensive numbers to win votes among whoever decides that gobbledygook), but UZR is dependent on a large sample size: as I understand it, at least 3 full seasons. As a result, UZR/150 is an unreliable stat at best… it’s sort of like how if you extrapolate Andres Torres’ 2009 numbers to a full season’s worth of ABs, he would have hit 23 triples. Awesome to speculate, but take a hearty pinch of salt with you on the way. So basically, we won’t have an accurate sabermetric picture of just how good Ishikawa is, or how good Sandoval may or may not be, for another couple of years. Until then, we’ll just have to settle for the Panda Cam.

Chris S

And Jason, just for the record, the Fielder walk-off stunt was partly organized by 38 year-old Craig Counsell. So, it wasn’t just a youth thing. It was a sub-.500 team needing to feel good about something… thing. I’d just as soon leave those kinds of antics to the NBA, which is as much performance art as sport these days anyway.

Dave

As a Brewer fan, my initial reaction to the celebration was it was funny. After thinking about it I understand why some feel it was a disrespectful act. It was a great comeback and an exciting victory against a good team. It’s not like they were pointing at the Giants dugout and calling them out.
Based on the Brewers season and the way they normally handle themselves, I don’t think they did it as a snub towards the Giants…there is no history that would cause them to do so. We save this for the Cubs and Cards.
If they need to throw at him because they think he was disrespectful…go for it. Just do it the proper way…someplace below the neck. Remember though, he will use it as motivation in a game that counts.

Just because players don’t understand sabermetrics (which is obviously to be expected and unsurprising) doesn’t mean they aren’t useful. Do you think most actors would be good movie critics? I certainly don’t.

Mavo

Jason,

I watch a LOT of baseball! And I have no problem with a young energetic team celebrating and having fun… IN THEIR DUGOUT and CLUBHOUSE!! YES… have some fun.. but professional baseball should be played seriously as there is a LOT of money on the line … not to mention livelyhoods! You want funny antics and performance art … watch the joke that is now the NBA or better yet save a TON of money and go to a comedy club. Pulling a cheap stunt like that on the field in front of the other team as they are walking off the field, unless maybe you just won the World Series, is a serious breech of baseball rules! Sorry if you are too young to recognize this yet. Fielder MUST be sent a message Thursday … not to turn our game into the friggin’ circus on the field … the baseball Gods demand it!! And the comment made by someone else about “Fielder will use this as motivation in a game that counts” is laughable! The more UP you get in baseball … the worse you play! So I say let Fielder get all fired up.. he’ll be tight as a drum next time!

Wally

When it comes to celebrating a winning or scoring play, African-Americans seem more inclined to do so than white players. If and when Major League Baseball is dominated by Blacks like the NFL is, celebrating in the Majors will become commonplace.
Right now there is a small amount of celebrating in Major League Baseball, like pumping a fist or the hand clap, but so what? I like to see a player who hits a homerun smile a little and look human instead of a blank stare. I’d rather see a little emotion than an attempt to look cool. Enjoy the moment!

Come In My Posey

Someone had to pull the race card…

Mavo

I got no problem with some fist pumping or small things.. that is natural.. but choreographed demonstrations on the field is a bit much. And it is ridiculous that you had to bring race into this discussion. I don’t care if Fielder is GREEN.. or PURPLE.. he HAS to go down this Thursday!

Barry Bonds

Remember when I was hitting those steroid induced home runs and staring at them for 30 seconds before going into my trot? That’s the only time showboating was acceptable in my opinion.

dregarx

Reed B

“F Lew is still on to make the team??? Uh, why? Is it because he is the cheapest alternative for a pinch runner or left handed pinch hitter?”

Yes. That and the fact that, given regular playing time, he has a reasonable chance of outhitting Mark DeRosa.

exodus3122

Bochy is a retard.Sabean is a retard.Neukom is most likely gay.The Giants suck.I hope they lose at least 90 games and they’re all fired.

prima facie

UZR, that’s the make of snowboard Shaun White uses, right?

Mavo

dregarx, the best scenario for F Lewis … is he has a hot start this spring and gets unloaded! The Giants … and myself have seen enough of his act … stats or not.. the guy is just NOT a good ballplayer! And he is 29… the Giants have given this guy all the time necessary to learn his craft.. and he has not done it. Too bad.. because he does have tools.. but tools have to be developed.. before you turn 29! And the Giants have some interesting young outfielders coming up in the next couple of years. I know you are a big F Lewis fan.. but maybe a change of scenery and different coaching would help him… GET HIM OUT of a Giants UNIFORM!

Slamdunk

I was hoping that the Giants would have re-signed Brad Penny so that he could deal with guys like Fielder. Penny and the Unit had that nasty attitude to keep the hitters from getting too comfortable at the plate, and that will be missed this year. Hopefully Mota will fill that role.

Come In My Posey

I am so sick of hearing how Fred Lewis is better than ___________.

Every time I read there’s another fish story about who Lewis is better than.

As I said months ago, you can twist stats however you want, but Fred Lewis is best served as a pinch hitter.

dregarx

Mavo

If I were a Fred Lewis fan foremost, I would be leading the charge to get him out of SF so he has a chance with another organization.

However, I am a Giants fan foremost. If they don’t get offers from teams with at least a B prospect involved, they would be better served keeping him as a 5th outfielder and pH.

dregarx

Heh… too many acid-base reactions in chem. That should be PH.

Redbull

Frandsen will surprise if given the chance. He hit the ball hard last year, but was snake bit, a lot of atom balls.

Jsun

UZR is one piece of the player-evaluation puzzle. Saying Fred Lewis can’t play defense based on seeing him drop a few balls is as bad or worse than saying he’s a God of LF defense because he’s had good UZR numbers the past few years. Keep this in mind: the LF group the last couple years includes a lot of slow, old, plodding, or just bad fielders to whom Lewis is being compared to. Manny Ramirez. Adam Dunn. Alfonso “bad knee” Soriano. Pat Burrell. Carlos Lee. Jack Cust. Ryan Braun.

The idea that the super-speedy Lewis could get to more balls and make more plays than these guys while not looking great to the naked eye doesn’t seem so crazy anymore.

Combine that with speed on the basepaths, and patience (.015 to .018 points better OBP than MLB average the last two years) that the Giants sorely lack, and maybe it shouldn’t be that hard to understand why a lot of fans see someone they feel should be in the lineup more often than not.

curveball

Come In My Posey says:
February 28th, 2010 at 8:56 am

I like a lot of the “new school” stats, however I use my eye when evaluating the Giants.

Stats really should be used for players you don’t get to see on a regular basis or players you don’t know.

No stats will ever convince me that Fred Lewis can play defense, and why? Because I watched about 155 games last year, and while UZR says he is decent my eyes tell me otherwise.

And yes I trust my eyes over UZR.

I AGREE ! 100%

brewer fan

Giants fans complaining about a player showboating after a homerun? C’mon. How many did Bonds hit as a Giant? Oh he never showboated. I say sure, bean Prince. But don’t talk about showboating, your credibilty is zero. As for the Cards, they can shut up too. As if Poo-hole never watches his fly out.

Playball

#42 Brewer Fan

Fielder should not even be in the same sentence as Pujols and Bonds. Watching balls flyout is different than coordinating a celebration, one is blatently disrespectful to the other ballclub, the other has been done for years and hardly gets a second look if its not over done

brwrsfan

#43 – Playball

So you’re saying that because one thing has been done forever that it’s not disrespectful? You’re saying that Bonds/Pujols or any other player that hits a HR, stands there and watches it for 3-4-5 seconds, often times still holding the bat isn’t disrespectful for the pitcher or his teammates standing in the field?

That’s why you often see pitchers bean the next guy batting or bean the show boater the next time they square off. You’re saying that they’re beaing those guys because they’re mad at the HR and not the fact that the player acted like a dbag and stood there watching it or flipped his bat or did a little spin move (Soriano) or something like that?

Seriously, that’s one of the dumbest things I’ve ever heard. They’re getting beaned because the pitcher felt disrespected by the players antics, not the HR itself. Just because it’s been done forever doesn’t mean it’s not disrespectful. I don’t agree with what Prince did, but I really don’t think it was THAT big of a deal. It’s not like they went in front of the Giants dugout and told them to suck it. Get over it. You would think the Giants players/fans would be more upset that it was a devastating loss to their playoff hopes, not over the fact that the Brewers celebrated by falling down at home plate.

I also find this particularily ammusing given that the Giants fans loved one of the most arrogant, disrespectful, HR watching players of all time yet are completely bent out of shape over a silly game winning celebration – which by the way, was mainly orchestrated by Craig Counsell (who is 38 mind you), not Prince Fielder. Prince just happened to hit the HR. The team was going to do it on their next walk off HR, regardless of who hit it. Get over it.

iamwatching

I thought the Fielder pantomime rather original. Sure beats pointing at the sky for every meaningless out or hit.

dodgerh8r

Jsun, the idea isn’t to just get to more balls than the avg left fielder, as lewis can because of his speed … it’s also to friggin’ catch them. I agree that Lewis is one of the few hitters who can consistently draw walks, which is great, except that ole’ bunion-foot doesn’t run the bases particularly well, despite his speed, and he’s “not comfortable” leading off, which is where the Giants need the most help. Frankly, the guy’s pushing 30 so he went from prospect to suspect a while ago for me …

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